Guilbeaux v. Guilbeaux

981 So. 2d 913, 2008 WL 1887082
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedApril 30, 2008
Docket08-17
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 981 So. 2d 913 (Guilbeaux v. Guilbeaux) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Guilbeaux v. Guilbeaux, 981 So. 2d 913, 2008 WL 1887082 (La. Ct. App. 2008).

Opinion

981 So.2d 913 (2008)

Samuel Paul GUILBEAUX
v.
Carolyn Bean GUILBEAUX, et al.

No. 08-17.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Third Circuit.

April 30, 2008.

*914 L. Lane Roy, Preis & Roy, Lafayette, LA, for Defendants/Appellees, Carolyn Bean Guilbeaux, James Guilbeaux, James Bean Guilbeaux, Russell James Guilbeaux.

Tori S. Bowling, Keogh, Cox, Wilson, Baton Rouge, LA, for Defendants/Appellees, Carolyn Bean Guilbeaux, James Guilbeaux, James Bean Guilbeaux, Russell James Guilbeaux.

Warren D. Rush, Rush, Rush & Calogero, Lafayette, LA, for Plaintiff/Appellant, Edith Marie Guilbeaux.

Court composed of MARC T. AMY, BILLY HOWARD EZELL, and J. DAVID PAINTER, Judges.

AMY, Judge.

The plaintiffs appeal the trial court's denial of a motion for temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction and/or permanent injunction. For the following reasons, we affirm the decision below. Further, as we will explain, we deny the motion to strike appellants' brief.

Factual and Procedural Background

The record indicates that Samuel Paul Guilbeaux (Samuel), acting as agent for his mother, Edith Leblanc Guilbeaux (Edith), filed a petition for accounting, monetary judgment, and injunction on November 7, 2005, alleging that Russell James Guilbeaux (Russell), Edith's son, Carolyn Bean Guilbeaux (Carolyn), Edith's daughter-in-law, and James Bean Guilbeaux (James), Edith's grandson, refused to return property that belonged to Edith despite repeated demands to do so. Samuel prayed for an accounting from the defendants "of all sums of money or things of value which rightfully belong to Edith . . . and to pay and return unto Plaintiff as Agent for Edith . . ., all of such sums of money and to deliver to Plaintiff all things of value whatsoever. . . ." This petition was later amended to add Edith as a plaintiff.

On August 10, 2006, Edith filed a petition for protection from abuse against Russell. The petition alleged that on August 9, 2006, "[t]he abuse inflicted on Petitioner occurred once again this date when Defendant attempted to have the suit filed against Defendant dropped so Defendant could retain property belonging to Petitioner." Edith requested that Russell be prohibited from: (1) abusing, harassing, following, stalking or threatening her; (2) contacting her in person, by phone, in writing, electronically or through person without the court's permission; (3) coming with 100 yards of her home; and (4) damaging any of Edith's belongings or shutting off any utilities, telephone service or mail delivery. An order of protection was issued and was to remain in effect until a hearing on August 24, 2006. The trial court denied Edith's request for the return of property because it was "in litigation."[1]

On August 10, 2006, Edith also filed a petition for temporary restraining order, *915 preliminary and permanent injunction against Carolyn. In her petition, Edith requested that an ex parte temporary restraining order be issued prohibiting Carolyn from (1) abusing, harassing, stalking, following or threatening her; (2) contacting her through any means; (3) going within 100 yards of her residence; and (4) damaging any of her belongings or shutting off any utilities, telephone service or mail delivery. The trial court issued an order of protection which was to remain effective until the September 25, 2006 hearing.

On August 25, 2006, the protective order proceeding against Russell and the temporary restraining order proceeding against Carolyn were consolidated with the accounting, monetary judgment, and injunction proceedings. After a hearing on March 12, 2007, the trial court denied Edith's motion for preliminary and/or permanent injunction. Edith subsequently filed a new motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction and/or permanent injunction. In that motion, Edith alleged that "[a]fter the [March 12, 2007] hearing, Defendants now continue to harass Edith . . . by going to her house and requesting her to drop the above captioned suit." On April 20, 2007, the trial court denied Edith's request for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction and/or permanent injunction. A hearing on said motion was set for May 21, 2007. Following the hearing, the trial court denied the motion and ordered that:

[T]he only relief Edith Leblanc Guilbeaux has to prohibit Defendants in Rule, Russell James Guilbeaux and Carolyn Bean Guilbeaux, from any of the acts sought to be enjoined is through the criminal process charging such Defendants in Rule with trespassing, inasmuch as there is no civil remedy afforded to complainant Edith Leblanc Guilbeaux to enjoin the intrusions complained of.

It is from this ruling that Samuel and Edith appeal, asserting the following assignments of error:

I. The Trial Court erred in refusing to issue injunctive relief as against Defendants in Rule, Carolyn Bean Guilbeaux and Russell James Guilbeaux preventing such parties from going onto the premises of Edith Marie Guilbeaux, where she resides as her family home. The decision is contrary to law and the constitution of the State of Louisiana.
II. The decision violates the terms, intent and purpose of the statutory and constitutional law applicable to persons having a right to prohibit individuals from going onto their property on which a residence is occupied by the party requesting such parties not to go onto such premises.
III. The decision requiring a party seeking injunctive relief to protect their privacy to utilize criminal proceedings after the fact to keep parties from going onto the premises of a resident of a home and lot on which it is located especially where a civil statute and a constitutional provision of the State of Louisiana provides a civil remedy which can be utilized prior to a defendant going onto the premises of the complainant.

Discussion

Motion to Strike

Russell and Carolyn filed a motion to strike Samuel and Edith's brief which was referred to the merits of this matter. They contend that the brief includes statements which are "not supported by the record, amount to hearsay or are attorney *916 testimony forbidden by the rules of professional conduct and are in direct contradiction with evidence actually in the record." They also argue that Edith "makes unfounded accusations of criminal behavior" against them. According to Russell and Carolyn, these statements contain obnoxious, insulting, and discourteous language, violates Uniform Rule, Courts of Appeal, Rule 2-12.4,[2] and must be stricken from the record.

We observe that Edith's allegations that Russell and Carolyn defrauded and harassed her are the subject of the original suit filed against them. This original suit has not proceeded to a trial on the merits and is consolidated with the instant suit. Because, as Russell and Carolyn contended, "[n]o court has found that either Carolyn or James committed perjury, fraud, or harassed Edith[,]" we do not consider these statements in resolution of the matter before us. However, we find it unnecessary to strike the brief. See Dunn v. Land & Marine Properties, Inc., 609 So.2d 284 (La.App. 3 Cir.1992), writ denied, 614 So.2d 1252 (La.1993) (wherein this court denied the motion to strike, finding that certain statements were harmless in that they provided background information or were the plaintiffs' version of events).

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981 So. 2d 913, 2008 WL 1887082, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/guilbeaux-v-guilbeaux-lactapp-2008.